News

Connecting Greece and Bulgaria's border regions: adoption of a new Interreg programme worth €129 million

11.09.2015

The European Commission adopted today a cross border cooperation
programme for Greece and Bulgaria which first priority is to boost the
competitiveness of SMEs and help them expand beyond local markets. It is
worth €129 million, with a contribution from the European Union of more
than €110 million from the European Regional Development Fund.

Corina Crețu, Commissioner for Regional Policy, said: "This
programme will help the border regions of Bulgaria and Greece to work
together and address common challenges. This new programme is clearly
result-oriented and will make a real difference on the ground, from
improved transport infrastructure to opportunities for new jobs."

The programme will focus on the following four priorities:

A Competitive and Innovative Cross Border Area

A Sustainable and Climate adaptable Cross Border Area

A Better interconnected Cross Border Area

A Socially Inclusive Cross Border Area

The programme, which covers 11 Greek and Bulgarian regions, will also
improve cross border cooperation to better protect the local population
from the risk of flooding. It will develop and promote the border
area's cultural and natural heritage. Furthermore, investments under the
Interreg programme will improve the management of water resources and
cross border connectivity. This means reduced travel times as well as
improved traffic safety. Finally, the programme aims to expand social
entrepreneurship in the border area, leading to increased employment in
social enterprises and enhanced delivery of social services to
vulnerable communities.

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